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Men in Black: Dynamics, Violence, and Lone Wolf Potential

2013; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 26; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/09546553.2014.849920

1556-1836

José Pedro Zúquete,

Italian Fascism and Post-war Society

Abstract Since the turn of the millennium in particular, protest movements have often been characterized by Black Bloc tactics of confrontation and street fighting between anarchist militants and police forces. This article analyses the Black Bloc's philosophy, dynamics, organization, praxis, and goals. After discussing the relationship between the Black Bloc and violence, the article analyses dynamics within militant anarchism that open the way for the formation of autonomous terrorist cells, as well as the potential for lone wolf terrorism in the movement. Keywords: anarchismBlack Bloclone wolvesterrorismviolence Notes Georges Sorel, Reflections on Violence (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004), 293. Cindy Milstein, Anarchism and Its Aspirations (Oakland, CA: AK Press, 2010), 75–76; Leonard Williams, "Anarchism Revived," New Political Science 29, no. 3 (2007): 297–312; Peter Marshall, Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism (Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2010), 697–698. It is important to keep in mind that the tactic of black blocking can also be used in a non-confrontational manner. Other groups have also used it, for example activists dressed in pink, or wearing carnival-esque outfits, known as Pink Blocs. They usually engage in street theatre and dancing in front of the riot police. Black Bloc Papers, edited and compiled by David Van Deusen and Xavier Massot of the Green Mountain Anarchist Collective (Shawnee Mission, KS: Breaking Glass Press, 2010), 154. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Statement for the Record of Principal Deputy Counterterrorism Coordinator and Senior Advisor to the Secretary John Cohen for a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing titled 'The American Muslim response to Hearings on Radicalization within their Community (Washington, DC: Author, June 20, 2012); Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Leftwing Extremists Likely to Increase Use of Cyber Attacks over the Coming Decade (Washington, DC: Office of Intelligence and Analysis, January 26, 2009), http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/leftwing.pdf. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Domestic Extremism—Anarchist Extremism: A Primer (Washington, DC: Author, November 16, 2010). Already in the summer of 2001, Jurgen Storbeck, at the time director of Europol, the European Law Enforcement Agency, called Black Bloc anarchists "terrorists or proto-terrorists." See Jean-Pierre Masse and Nathalie Bayon, "L'altermondialisme au Prisme de L'exceptionnalisme: Les Effets du 11 Septembre 2001 Sur le Mouvement Social Européen," Cultures and Conflicts, October 6, 2004, 10, http://conflits.revues.org/1069. "Men in Black With a Violent Agenda," FOX 13 News, Tampa Bay, May 23, 2012. For an inside account of the German Autonomist movement and its use of Black Bloc tactics see Geronimo, Fire and Flames: A History of the German Autonomist Movement (Oakland, CA: PM Press, 2012). In North America, the first relevant example of Black Blocs happened during the protests against the Gulf War in 1991, in Washington D.C. But it is the "Battle of Seattle" (1999) that would witness the emergence of Black Blocs as a pervasive force in protests. For an activist account of CrimethInc see Sandra Jeppesen, "The DIY Post-Punk Situationist Politics of CrimethInc," Anarchist Studies 19, no. 1 (2011): 23–55. A Civilian's Guide to Direct Action: What It Is, What It's Good For, How it Works, http://crimethinc.com/tools/downloads/pdfs/direct_action_guide.pdf. Ibid. Ibid. Black Bloc Papers (see note 4 above), 86. "Breaking News From The Pittsburgh G-20 Protests," CrimethInc. Ex-Worker's Collective, 2009, http://crimethinc.com/texts/recentfeatures/g20.php. "May Day: A Strike Is a Blow," CrimethInc. Ex-Worker's Collective, 2012, http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2012/05/10/may-day-a-strike-is-a-blow/. "God Only Knows What Devils We Are," The Institute for Experimental Freedom, February 20, 2012, http://www.politicsisnotabanana.com/2012/02/god-only-knows-what-devils-we-are.html. "G20 Mobilization: Preliminary Assessment," CrimethInc. Ex-Worker's Collective, 2009, http://crimethinc.com/texts/atoz/g202.php. Black Bloc Papers (see note 4 above), 88. Carl Gibson, "Cut It Out: An Open Letter to Black Bloc Anarchists," Reader Supported News, May 22, 2012. For instance, the cover of the mainstream Brazilian weekly magazine Veja issue dedicated to the Black Blocs featured a woman activist (Emma), under the headline "the gang of the masked people." See Veja, no. 34 (August 21, 2013). The title of this article does not want to reinforce a gender stereotype about Black Blocs. Therefore, the role of women must be acknowledged, even if the majority of activists are still young men. See José Pedro Zúquete, "'Hell Yes, We're Fighting!': Revolutionary Anarchism's Call for Destruction and Creation," in George Michael, ed., Extremism in the United States: An Overview (Gainesville, FL: Florida University Press, 2013). "On the Black Bloc," Anarchist news dot org, April 4, 2012, https://anti-politics.net/content/black-bloc. "Fashion Tips for the Brave," CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, October 11, 2008, http://www.crimethinc.com/blog/2008/10/11/fashion-tips-for-the-brave/. Black Bloc Papers (see note 4 above), 350. Luis A. Fernandez, Policing Dissent: Social Control and the Anti-Globalization Movement (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2008), 55. CrimetInc. Workers' Collective, Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook (Olympia, WA, 2004), 136, https://we.riseup.net/assets/35370/crimethinc.recipes.for.disaster.an.anarchist.cookbook.pdf. Ibid. Ibid. "What is Security Culture?," CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, n.d., http://www.crimethinc.com/texts/atoz/security.php. Ibid. For example, Black Bloc Papers (see note 4 above), 139. "The Rose of Fire Has Returned," CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, April 2012,http://crimethinc.com/texts/recentfeatures/rosefire.php. Francis Dupuis-Déri, "The Black Blocs Ten Years after Seattle," Journal for the Study of Radicalism 4, no. 2 (2010): 50–51. Black Bloc Papers (see note 4 above), 138. "Toronto G20: Eyewitness Report," CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, July 2010, http://crimethinc.com/texts/recentfeatures/toronto2.php. "The Rose of Fire Has Returned" (see note 32 above). "The June 2103 Uprisings in Brazil—Part 1," CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, August 2013, http://crimethinc.com/texts/recentfeatures/brazilpt1.php. "Inside Sunday's Violent Clash between 'Black Bloc' Anarchists, Cops," Chicago Sun-Times, May 21, 2012. "Dance for that Anarchy: My Love-Hate Relationship with Black Blocs," Occupied Chicago Tribune, May 24, 2012, http://occupiedchicagotribune.org/2012/05/dance-for-that-anarchy-my-love-hate-relationship-with-black-blocs/. See Jeffrey Kaplan, "Leaderless Resistance," Terrorism and Political Violence 9, no. 3 (Autumn 1997): 80–95. Marshall, Demanding the Impossible: A History of Anarchism (see note 2 above), 658. Interview with "b," November 15, 2010. Interview with John Zerzan, July 31, 2010. Chuck Munson, May 2000. Cited in Carol Moore, http://carolmoore.net/sfm/. ACME Collective, N 30 Black Bloc Communiqué, 1999, http://www.indymedia.org.uk/media/2010/02//445593.pdf. Jeff Shantz, Living Anarchy: Theory and Practice in Anarchist Movements (Palo Alto, CA: Academic Press, 2009), 74. Interview with "b," July 2, 2012. "The Colonization of OccupyOakland," libcom.org, May 1, 2012, http://libcom.org/forums/theory/colonization-occupyoakland-01052012. "Is It Ok For Protesters to Damage Property?" New Internationalist 440 (March 2011): 36. "The Illegitimacy of Violence, The Violence of Legitimacy," CrimethInc. Ex-Workers' Collective, March 27 2012, 2. Interview with "b," July 2, 2012. "The Illegitimacy of Violence" (see note 50 above), 9–10. Uwe Backes, Political Extremes: A Conceptual History from Antiquity to the Present, (London: Routledge, 2010), 191. Interview with Joel Olson, October 8, 2010. Interview with "b," November 15, 2010. See Donatella della Porta and Herbert Reiter, "State Power and the Control of Transnational Protests," in Thomas Olesen, ed., Power and Transnational Activism (London: Routledge, 2011), 102. Fernandez, Policing Dissent: Social Control and the Anti-Globalization Movement (see note 25 above), 161. "Em Recife, Protestos Agora Só de Cara Limpa," O Globo, August 23, 2013, 9. DHS, "Statement for the Record" (see note 5 above). "Abin Monta Rede Para Monitorar Internet," Estado de São Paulo, June 19, 2013 http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/cidades,abin-monta-rede-para-monitorar-internet,1044500,0.htm. Randy Borum and Chuck Tilby, "Anarchist Direct Actions: A Challenge for Law Enforcement," Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 28 (2005): 220. Ibid. The People of the State of Illinois—vs.—Defendants, May 19, 2012. The United States of America vs. Douglas L. Wright, April 30, 2012, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/USCOURTS-ohnd-1_12-cr-00238/USCOURTS-ohnd-1_12-cr-00238-1/content-detail.html. Three of them, after pleading guilty to all charges, were subsequently sentenced as "domestic terrorists" to prison terms ranging from 8 to 11 years. See "Jury in Bridge-Bombing Conspiracy Case Begins Deliberations; Defendant Denies Guilt," Cleveland.com, June 13, 2013, http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/06/jury_in_bridge-bombing_conspir.html. Thomas Olesen, "Introduction: Power and Transnational Activist Framing," in Thomas Olesen, ed., Power and Transnational Activism (London: Routledge, 2011), 6. Shannon Gibson, "State-led Social Boundary Change: Transnational Environmental Activism, 'Ecoterrorism' and September 11," in Thomas Olesen, ed., Power and Transnational Activism (see note 65 above), 140–142. Interview with "b," July 2, 2012. "Agent Provocateurs & Informants," Infoshop News, May 21, 2012,http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=2012052119495540. See, for example, "The United States of America vs. Douglas L. Wright" (see note 64 above). "What is Security Culture?" (see note 29 above). "G20 Mobilization" (see note 17 above). Ramon Spaaij, "The Enigma of Lone Wolf Terrorism: An Assessment," Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 33, no. 9 (2010): 862–863. Clark McCauley and Sophia Moskalenko, "Mechanisms of Political Radicalization: Pathways Toward Terrorism," Terrorism and Political Violence 20, no. 3 (2008): 419. Sophia Moskalenko and Clark McCauley, "The Psychology of Lone-wolf Terrorism," Counselling Psychological Quarterly 24, no. 2 (June 2011): 124. Raffaello Pantucci, "What Have We Learned about Lone Wolves from Anders Behring Breivik," Perspectives on Terrorism 5, nos. 5–6 (2011): 40. Patrick Dunleavy, "The Myth of Self-Radicalization," IPT News, April 4, 2012. See also Ruth Kinna, Anarchism: A Beginner's Guide (Oxford: One World, 2005), 161. The book is written by AK Thompson, a Toronto-based writer and activist. AK Thompson, Black Bloc, White Riot: Anti-Globalization and the Genealogy of Dissent (Oakland, CA: AK Press 2010). Ibid., 21. Ibid., 154. Black Bloc Papers (see note 4 above), 343. Ibid., 360. Ibid., 361. "Anarchists Must Attack What Only Anarchists Can Attack, or Why We Should Support the Anarchy Bridge! 5," War on Society, May 22, 2012, http://waronsociety.noblogs.org/?p=4763. Jamie Bartlett and Carl Miller, "The Edge of Violence: Towards Telling the Difference Between Violent and Non-Violent Radicalization," Terrorism and Political Violence 24, no. 1 (2012): 14. Adbusters # 92 (November 22–28, 2010). See Black Bloc Fetish, http://blackblocfetish.tumblr.com. Bartlett and Miller, "The Edge of Violence" (see note 85 above), 2. Spaaij, "The Enigma of Lone Wolf Terrorism" (see note 72 above), 862; McCauley and Moskalenko, "Mechanisms of Political Radicalization" (see note 73 above), 419. Moskalenko and McCauley, "The Psychology of Lone-wolf Terrorism" (see note 74 above), 123–125. For the IRF network see José Pedro Zúquete, "World War ," in Michael Fredholm, ed., Lone Wolf Terrorism: Past Experience, Future Outlook, and Response Strategies, forthcoming (2014). "Agent Provocateurs & Informants" (see note 68 above). On the relationship between radicalization and martyrdom see McCauley and Moskalenko, "Mechanisms of Political Radicalization: Pathways Toward Terrorism" (see note 73 above), 425–426, 428. Additional informationNotes on contributorsJosé Pedro Zúquete José Pedro Zúquete is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences in Lisbon, Portugal, and The Institute of Social and Political Studies in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.